Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1887-09-10
/ cIVt SERVICE CASE
,,rdiuate Case in the Collector
III, Of Chicago Decided by
the Commissioner.
u..r Who Could Not Satisfy the
department that he Had Been .
Fired Without Cause.

v.,u1sc1os, September THE Civil
w.. commission has submitted to the
Ss' ;Ssnt report OF it's investigation of the
fr'"Io;nt made by George A. Webster
o up Anthony F. Zeeberger, collector Of
i' nort of Chicago. The opinion says the
tD'p ,.;n OF Webster is that he was com.
to madt TO resign the place in the appraisers
ppssas ss Chicago, because be was a Republic
o''e the collector desired to put a
n"nocrat in his place. In a letter OF COM
DeG "t webster says after receiving notice
l%ss his resignation was demanded. he wa
tnss ,osd by the collector in an interview
inlos no complaint had been urged against
tna ssacial conduct and ability. but that
M:on TO the great pressure there was q
o.ssss;ty that q vacancy should be made,
D ~ that the collector said: You must
s .r%snber that our party has been
,-r of POWER FOR TWENTY-FIVE YEARS
III YOU should be thankful for having
,su allowed to stay two years under a
o.nocratic administration. 2 berger says
,s.,souestfo for reasons was amply strongand
,ot he acted in strict continuity with the
Sr;l Service law, as he understood it. In
y testimony before the Commission,
%rbereer denied having said anything to
sshster that could be construed into =
.sieration that the request was prompted
.nol;tical reasons. 1.-The reasons for
smoyal," said Zeberger. ''were in my
asn mind and keeping" and these he re.
s,.0a TO state. The opinion observes,
.Sat while Zeberger states empbatically
. gha he did not say to Webster that bis
Ius;cns,ion had been demanded for poiti-
~, seasops, and he did not inform him
.Sa+ such w're not his reasons
S4tsnt;on is CO Iled to the fact that Webster
~ NOT given the benefit OF the law which
N"",;res the heads of the Executive
nsrortmentst to retain those persons who
usr h equally qualified, who have been
n"norabIy discharged soldiers or sailoes.
Webster saws the opinion is that he is an
honorabIy discharged wounded soldier.
AHer appointment he was promoted for
faithful and deserving services. This COM
potency
THE DOES NOT DENY
That Webster was an offensive partisan
!. not shown by the testimony. He swears
10 was never a politician and had never
attended q caucus or convention as 2 dele
eate. He adds: II have, however. the
strongest political views which / have
slvays held" In an expression OF his
stronp political views he. says: II am OF
the %oninion that Webster had a right to
entertain the opinion but he is not to be
tolerated because the man occupies q
nIace in the classified list of the civil SER
pp;ce he must therefore surrender his right
to take an interest in the politics of the
country. No good citizen will do so.
THE OPINION
that there is no cause why reasons should
not be given for removals as an appointing
officer neither OWNS the Office occupied by
him or the Offices occupied by the persons
under bis supervision" He is not an EN-.
nloyer OF his subordinates. He is not mas
ter. He is a servant OF the people, and
certainly no good reasons can be given why
in serving the people he should he permit
ted to hold in his own mind and keep
ing his reasons for doing any act
in the performance OF which people have
no interest. Concerning the right OF the
commission to make Investigations OF the
kind conducted by Commissions Egerton
and Lyman at Chicago against the right OF
which Commissioner Egerton makes Objec-
ton, the opinion says that such investiga-
ton can but result in the good OF b ser.
vice in the correction OF wrong methods
and some time in the disclosure OF
EvAsIoNs AND VIOLATIONS
Of both the law and the rules. In conclu.
sion the Commission expresses it's dissent
from Commissioner Egerton's ceHsure Of the
service reform leagues, and association and
cav his observation has discovered no
purpose of any OF them to antagonixe the
ADMINISTRATION or in any way to EN-.
it in the enforcement OF the Civil
service law and rules. On the contrary all
such leagues and associations have shoyn
a most earnest desire to support the Com
in the discharge OF it's duties.
Commissioner Egertcn in his report to the
states he was opposed TO
Investigation, because, in his opinion, IN
charges which had been made were not OF a
character which could give the Commission
ary legal right
TO ACT UPON THE COMPLAINT,
When Zeberger, in reply to Webster's COM
plant, denied charges made against him.
and claiming that he requested his resigna-
for reasons amply strong and that he
it in conformity with the civil service
law, he distinctly denied that the request
was prompted by political reasons: With
this answ er, says Commissioner Egerton,
the Investigation should have stopped as
the charges were insufficient and were
melted by the league for purpose OF max
ing a political partisan attack upon the
present administration. Webster was
not removed. He resigned and thereby
abandoned all legal right to his position.
Ed gerton in conclusion says
that in his opinion Collector Zeberger has
not been guilty of any violation OF any OF
the rules. or OF any provision OF the civil